Racism in Sport-The Quotes

Racism in Sport is nothing new, but it is hitting the headlines again.Racism in Sport has certainly improved, but many people wonder if it can ever be completely removed.

On of my first memories of sport were watching the Mexico Olympics,at the men's 200m final medal ceremony Tommie Smith and John Carlos, gold and bronze medallists made their own protest against racism.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute

Quotes

We are show horses out their for the white people. They give us peanuts, pat us on the back and say "Yes you did us fine". John Carlos.

On the track you are Tommie Smith, the fastest man in the world, but once you are in the dressing rooms you are nothing. Tommie Smith.

The next quotes were spoken years later in 1993.

I was afraid, very afraid.Every little crack I heard I thought I was a goner.. we were wide open out there. We'd been threatened hundereds of times.. The 1960'S were a sorry time. Tommie Smith.

White folks would have forgiven the black socks, the silk scarf the bowed head,but they saw the raised black fist and were afraid. Tommie Smith.

I came to my native country and I could not ride on the front of the bus.. I was not invited to shake hands with Hitler but I was not invited to the Whitehouse to shake hands with the President either. Jesse Owens, after winning four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics.

Humanity is more important than winning a gold medal. What I pray for is not a gold medal but equality. Filbert Bayi, athlete.

There is no room in baseball for discrimination. It is our national pastime and a game for all.Lou Gehrig.

To fight in South Africa would be an affront to my family, my country and my integrity. John Conteh, boxer.

He is a credit to his race — the human race. Jimmy Cannon, about Joe Louis

After sweating in the feilds all day as I did, I was not going to take all that Uncle Tom crap. Joe Frazier, boxer.

Baseball is big with my people. It figures It's the only time we get to shake a bat at a white man without starting a riot. Dick Gregory, From the back of the bus.

Arthur Ashe was the first black tennis player to win the mens singles championsip at Wimbledon.

Arthur Ashe Quotes

There was a great deal of fuss about being the first black Junior Davis Cup player, the first black to win a tennis scholarship to UCLA. The fact this kind of accomplishment got so much attention was an indication that we still had fat to go.

Growing up black was harder than having AIDS.

Racism is not an excuse to not do the best you can.

If I could give you one gift it would be a life free of racial discrimination.

Muhammad Ali ,self styled boxing champion who described himself as The Greatest.

Muhammad Ali Quotes

My memory of of the summer of 1960 is not the hero's welcome or the celebrations... the Mayor or the Governor... but that night I stood on the Jefferson County Bridge and threw my Olympic Gold Medal down to the bottom of the Ohio River.

Whites seem to enjoy seeing black boxers broke. Rolls Royce are broke. Nixon's broke. What's thier excuse? But people still say, 'aint it terrible that Joe Louis is broke. (1973).

The single most courageous act of the century. Ali on the Smith/Carlos salute in 1968.